


It's not Impossible

by randomramblesff



Category: GLOW (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Episode Fix-it, F/M, Hollywood Homecoming, Hurt/Comfort, Ruth Wilder - Freeform, Sam Sylvia - Freeform, Sam x Ruth, Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 16:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20230939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomramblesff/pseuds/randomramblesff
Summary: “Is there anyone you want us to call?”“No.”The doctor nods and heads for the door.“Well, actually...”(an alternative version/episode fix of Hollywood Homecoming, S3 EP7)





	It's not Impossible

“Is there anyone you want us to call?”

“No.”

The doctor nods and heads for the door.

“Well, actually...”

He's testing the waters when he says her name. He's testing out whether he truly wants her there, whether she'll actually make the journey and whether, by any chance, it will do anything to influence the limbo they’re in.

Things have been fine – you know, between himself and Ruth; obviously having a heart attack isn’t _fine _and as much as he’s been a little reckless here and there, even he knows that – but they really are. Or were, before he left. He wasn’t lying to her about being a grown-up. If she doesn’t want to face the music and be honest with herself then so be it. She's the one not being an adult about it and he’ll stand by that. Going back home to LA wasn’t about her. It was about the place, the direction of where everything was heading – it was about Justine. It was about potential.

But along with the _testing, _he thinks about how she'd react if she ever found out about this happening to him and what she’d think if she believed he’d never given her a second thought. She’d gape at him with visible disappointment and hurt, and tell him he's fucking stupid like he doesn’t already know it. And then maybe after a while, once the reality sunk in, she'd be a little more comforting and tell him all the ways she was going to help put him back on the right tracks. She'd write a list and make it clear that she wouldn’t let him slip back into old habits.

He has to stay another night, so, he may as well lie in his bed and treat it as a waiting game. Every beep of his heart monitor is like a turn of a hand on a countdown clock. Ruth will arrive; Ruth won’t arrive. Ruth will arrive; Ruth won’t arrive... over and over and over until he's closing his eyes and his lips are parted in a snore.

He peels an eyelid open a few – minutes? Hours? – later and she's there, curled up on the chair in the corner of the room, chin in her hand, her own eyes closed.

He realises that part of the test wasn’t really much of a test, after all. Of course, she’d fucking come. This is Ruth; even if she didn’t actually want to see him, she’d travel all the way just for her own track record.

The tiredness and general ache all over his body truly hit, then. He’s not sure what is actually worse, the heart attack or this aftermath, where time feels slower and every past life decision heavier, burning into his mind like ants to a magnifying glass.

Is it rude to wake someone up who drove all the way to see you? Fuck it, when has he ever cared about politeness?

“Ruth?”

She stays asleep, seemingly peaceful.

“Hey, Ruth? Ruth? You’re not gonna’ make a guy who just had a heart attack, yell, are you?”

That gets her. She stirs, scrunching up her eyes and nose and tensing up her body like a cat before releasing it all and putting her feet on the ground.

He can’t read her expression, partly because she’s sat at a distance and partly because it seems to be a mixture of both anger and sympathy.

He wonders if she’s angry with him or herself. Maybe she’s angry with herself because she drove all the way out here and still has to carry this act like this isn't what she wants to be doing; like this isn’t what they should be doing for one another.

Heck, he has done this for her. He’s done it twice.

“They... told me, you weren’t going to call anyone. Sam, why would you not call anyone?” Ruth asks, pouting her lips stiffly.

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”

“Did you call Justine?”

“No.” He spits out like it’s obvious why he didn’t, “Did you?”

“She’s _your _daughter.”

“Yeah, Ruth, so, I’m not exactly about to call her and say, 'Hey, you know the guy who's only been your father for all of ten seconds? He almost died today.’”

She stands up then, shaking her head.

“She deserves to know.”

“Did you tell anyone else?”

She shakes her head again, moving closer so she's standing to one side of the hospital bed.

“No, no, I just left. I haven’t eaten, I haven’t spoken to anyone...” Her lip quivers and her breathing grows shakier, “Look, if you called me as some kind of last-ditch attempt to get my attention, then you should know that... that’s not why I’m here.”

Sam rolls his head around on his pillow, throwing a hand in the air.

“Oh, come on, Ruth. I... I... I called you because you owe me, alright? We're two V one on the hospital appearances.”

“It’s not a joke, Sam.”

“I know it’s not a fucking joke, Ruth. I almost died, alright. I’ve gotta' change some shit. I'm not a dumbass, I've got work to do.”

“_Yeah, _you did.” Her voice breaks then, and she has to bite on her lip to stop herself from crying.

“I...”

She starts laughing, to try and control herself – or maybe because she does genuinely find this all laughable.

“I... I went to your room. We went camping, us, the girls and,” She looks up at the ceiling and composes herself, “and, I was... Debbie was talking to me and... I... She, she told me to go back to the hotel and tell you that I loved you... but you were gone and so, I couldn’t and then I get a phone call and, and, I’m here.”

She's shaking a hand down at her side and there’s a tear rolling down her reddened cheeks.

It doesn’t take much for Sam to reach out and clasp his right hand around her fingertips.

“I... aha...” She gasps for air before throwing both her hands up and wiping them across her face, “Oh _god, _I don’t want this... I don’t...”

She looks down at him, only just noticing the shine of his own eyes.

“You have _got _to stop... you have _got _to... to... work on this and not for me. For yourself. Okay? Sam?”

He nods, just about.

“Yeah, well, I’ve got a kid now, I’ve got responsibilities, and believe it or not, I don’t wanna' die myself. I've got things I wanna' stick around for.”

Ruth takes a deep breath and accepts his hand to hold again.

“So, uh, you do love me then? I was right? You weren’t telling the truth?”

“Well...” She shrugs a little, echoing his earlier words, “...I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You’d be here for anyone, Ruth.”

Her expression falters, unsure of how to respond.

“Yeah, you would. It’s part of how annoyingly selfless and, and, fucking perfect you are.”

“I’m neither of those things, Sam.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Ruth rolls her eyes, looking down at her hand that is still intertwined with his.

“So, what happens now?” She asks, genuinely unsure of what move to make next.

“I’m pretty sure if you kiss me, this fucking monitor is gonna' go off the charts and they'll be keeping me in another night again.”

A smile twitches at the corner of her mouth then, so, he squeezes her hand.

“What do you wanna' do, Ruth?”

“I don’t... I don’t know. I mean, you’re here and I'm in Vegas... and... I... Russell...”

“Oh, fucking Russell. Fuck that guy!”

“Sam... come on...” Ruth tilts her head, pointedly.

“Okay, okay... well, I can’t leave LA. I'm pretty sure before my fucking heart tried to sabotage me, Justine sold her screenplay to some producer and...”

“She sold her screenplay already? I didn’t even... It was amazing. She is... _so _talented.”

“Yeah, it was fucking great. Once in a lifetime- actually, no, screw that. It’s the _start_ of a fucking once in a lifetime career.”

Ruth smiles, her eyes dropping to the bed. Sam lets the real meaning of her expression go, knowing there’s going to be a lot more of where it came from.

“Look, I’m not gonna' do what your fucking boyfriend does, alright? I’m not gonna' call you every night because you know me, I’ll forget or I’ll say something that will piss you off or... I don’t know. I’ll come to you, I’ll drive every weekend or something.”

“Every _weekend? _Sam... you can’t do that.”

“What? You just drove here. It’s not impossible.”

“You just had a heart attack, Sam. You need to rest.”

“What about when I’m done fucking resting?”

“Maybe... Vegas will be over with by then.”

“Jesus, Ruth, how long am I fucking resting for? I’ve got work to do.”

“I don’t now! I don’t...” Ruth sighs, rubbing her face with her free hand.

“Come here. Come on, come here.”

She raises an eyebrow at him, half of her face still concealed by her fingers.

“Come _on. _Sit down.”

She finally does, perching on the edge of the bed tentatively before swinging her legs up and around. Sam moves his arm and makes room for her to lean back into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Neither of them talk as they just lie in each others company. Sam still smells of cigarettes but it’s dulled down by the scent in the room, clean and crisp. When Ruth takes a deep breath, it stings a little.

She looks up and traces her eyes across the ceiling, over each square panel which makes it up. Some of them are peeling and stained with age but there’s one just above the bed which is bright and white and new.

“You promise to tell Justine about this?”

“What, that I'm in love with you?”

“No... I mean...” Ruth trails off, not needing to explain.

“Can I just, let her celebrate first?”

She nods against him before lifting her head up to face him.

They watch each other for a moment, not needing to talk. When Ruth’s eyes eventually lay on his lips, though, she whispers.

“I think I’m in love with you, too, Sam.”

He smiles as much as he can find the energy to, his eyes crinkling – the heart monitor beeping a little faster.

**Author's Note:**

> My second GLOW fic! Honestly, I loved this season but I can't help imagining different scenarios. Let me know what you think!


End file.
